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White House opposes DACA fix in exchange for border wall funding

The White House said Wednesday it does not support a deal that would provide temporary relief for so-called Dreamers in exchange for three years of funding for a border wall, throwing cold water on a proposal being floated on Capitol Hill.

The Washington Post reported earlier in the day that Republican officials were discussing a plan that would extend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for three years in exchange for three years of border wall funding, or a so-called three-for-three plan.

White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah said the administration does not support that effort but that the president could be open to a long-term fix if it were included in a spending bill.

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“The White House opposes a so-called three-for-three deal,” Shah said. The White House has never stopped negotiating an immigration package. “If there were a deal cut and that could be added to the omnibus we would welcome that. But right now what was reported as a three-for-three deal is not something the White House would support.”

The Trump administration announced last year it would end DACA on March 5 unless Congress came up with a fix. That deadline has come and gone, although the program remains in place as the matter is tied up in the courts.

Senate Republicans told The Hill on Wednesday that it is unlikely Congress will strike a deal that would be included in the government funding bill that must pass by March 23 to avoid a shutdown.